BenitoLink Staff & Contributors

Cristian is a recent graduate of Anzar High School. He has produced videos and is an experienced photographer. He is currently on his first year at San Francisco Community college.

BeckyBonner-Leland

Becky Bonner-Leland is a local teacher at San Benito High School who is passionate about sharing things to do in San Benito County.

ThomasBusk

I love travel, writing and people and hope to serve the community as a friend and advocate.

JessicaCaimi

Jessica is a writer from Los Angeles, California. After studying Literature and Film Theory at Harvard, she traveled the world as a journalist. To date, Jessica has visited more than 40 countries and written about international civil rights, subversive art and music, Chilean wine, and everything in between. Jessica is also a skilled content strategist and has lent her storytelling expertise to leading tech companies in Silicon Valley. Find her on Twitter @JessicaCaimi

JohnChadwell

John Chadwell is freelance photojournalist, copywriter, ghostwriter, scriptwriter and novelist. He is a former U.S. Navy Combat Photojournalist and is an award-winning writer who has worked for magazine, newspapers, radio and television. He has a BA in Journalism and Mass Communications from Chapman University and underwent graduate studies at USC Cinema School. John has worked as a script doctor and his own script, God's Club, was released as a motion picture in 2016. He has also written eight novels, ranging from science fiction to true crime that are sold on Amazon. To contact John Chadwell, send an email to: johnchadwell@benitolink.com.

LeslieDavid

Leslie David is a Bay Area independent reporter/producer and is a BenitoLink founding board member. She has produced for radio, television, newspaper and magazines in both California and Wyoming. She was with KRON-TV News in San Francisco as camera-woman, editor and field producer, where she won the Commonwealth Club's Thomas Storke Award with Linda Yee for their series on the Aids Epidemic. She started as a small market news reporter shooting her own 16mm film at KEYT-TV Santa Barbara. Leslie lives on a ranch with her family in San Benito County.

LaureenDiephof

Laureen has been in the communication business for many years as a photojournalist, columnist, and blogger.She served as reporter and columnist for South Monterey County Newspapers. She reported for the Soledad Bee and the Gonzales Tribune, and is currently writing feature stories for the Salinas Californian. From 2012-13, She was on a one year journey beginning in the Arctic Circle to the Sahara Desert, and many countries and small islands in between. After that she joined AmeriCorps, and served as the volunteer coordinator for the Arts Council for Monterey County. When the 10 month service was completed, she took the earned stipend and used it in Cambodia, where she stayed on a Buddhist Pagoda with the Monks and Nuns. She has written a book about her one year journey and hopes to get it published soon. Her website is: www.walkingovertheearth.com. She lives in Aromas with her cat Pharaoh.

JulieFinigan Morris

Julie Finigan Morris is a journalist and business owner. She has worked as staff writer for several news organizations, including Thomson Newspapers in Washington D.C., McClatchy Newspapers and Scripps News Service. She is also the Co-Founder and Owner of Morris Grassfed and has lived in San Benito County for more than 25 years. Morris has also worked in corporate communications, marketing, and the non-profit sector. She is a founding board member of BenitoLink and currently serves on its Editorial Committee. Contact her at juliemorris@benitolink.com. She recently published her first novel, Exit Strategy. Visit her online at www.juliefmorris.com

JackFoley

Jack Foley is a veteran journalist on the BenitoLink team. Foley is a Pulitzer co-winner for the San Jose Mercury News staff’s coverage of the Loma Prieta Earthquake. He was also nominated for a Pulitzer by the Center for Public Interest Law for a highly-lauded series that exposed California’s lax policing of bad doctors. He is an experienced investigative reporter who worked for the San Jose Mercury News for more than 20 years. Foley covered San Benito County news on and off throughout his professional career. In addition to his more than three decades in journalism as a reporter, photojournalist and editor, Foley also has taught news writing at Gavilan College, worked in the nonprofit, affordable housing field, including in San Benito County, and has done high level public affairs work for NASA.

Roseann Hernandez

PaulHersh

Thomas Leyde

Calaveras 7th Grade ClassPublic School

Dillon Rawlings

Dillon is an accomplished graphic artist. She has taken on a variety of roles at BenitoLink from running the social media and graphics for BenitoLink's 2016 election coverage to reporting on a wide of topics.

BobReid

Bob Reid is the former Content Director for BenitoLink. He is a local reporter/writer/musician/ horseman/videographer. He spent the past several years covering government meetings in San Juan Bautista and Hollister for the San Juan Star and Community Media Access Partnership.
He is currently working to establish a Low Power FM radio station in Hollister to serve the Hollister/ San Juan area. Bob was appointed and served on the San Juan Strategic Plan Committee and the San Juan Bautista General Plan Committee.

DaleRodebaugh

Laura Romero

Laura Romero is a general assignment reporter for BenitoLink, covering topics like education and city government. Formerly, she worked as an assistant account executive at Pembroke PR in San Francisco, where she assisted with press outreach, event coordination, and social media planning. Her PR skills will be put to use as she helps implement social media strategies and develops an online giving campaign.

Blaire Strohn

Blaire Strohn grew up in rural Paicines, California on a cow/calf operation ranch. Blaire just graduated from California State University, Fresno with a Bachelors Degree in Agriculture Communications. Currently she is attending Oklahoma State University focusing on International Agriculture. Besides attending school, she's interning as an American Ambassador for RFD-TV's The American and Convention Marketing Ambassador for the National Cattlemens Beef Association. Look for her stories on all things agriculture and ranching in San Benito County.